Week 1 – Post
📌📌Stepping Into Excellence – My First Week at ICAI FWRP📌📌
On 26th January, I landed in Jaipur, excited yet slightly apprehensive about the Four-Week Residential Program at COE Jaipur. Coming from the warmer climate of Coimbatore, the cold here was a real challenge, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d fall sick.
📌📌Yoga se hi Hoga aur Yoga sahi Hoga…📌📌
Waking up before sunrise was something I never thought I could do, yet here I was, attending yoga at 5:45 AM. The first day was tough, but within a week, I got used to it. Even today, despite sleeping late last night, I made sure I didn’t miss the session.
Key Learnings from the Week
📌 Day 1 & 2 – Sai Kumar Sir
🔹 Keep things simple – Overcomplication leads to stagnation
🔹 Never hesitate to ask for clarifications
🔹 Processes evolve – Adaptability is key
🔹 Professionalism isn’t just a skill; it’s how you present yourself
📌 Day 3 & 4 – Suby Balasubramaniam Sir
🔹 Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is as crucial as technical skills
🔹 Handling VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) requires structured thinking
🔹 Discovered plusai.com – A tool that makes PowerPoint presentations effortless
🔹 Learned about WASTE (Worry, Anxiety, Stress, Tension) – and tools to eliminate it
📌 Day 5 & 6 –Sanjeev Sampath Sir
🔹 Perception varies – A drawing exercise proved how differently we interpret things
🔹 Effective listening builds real connections
🔹 IQ & EQ are like two wheels of a bicycle – One without the other creates imbalance
🔹 Leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all – Understanding different styles helped me identify my own
Excited for more in this week
#fwrp #icai
Week 2 –
Questions are useless..
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Unless you get them right.
At hashtag#icai hashtag#FWRP, we dug deep into Effective Questioning, and here’s what I learned during our discussion led by Abhijit Sanzgiri sir:
❓ No stupid questions—only lost opportunities.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get it. if you ask, you at least have a probability of getting the thing you wanted.
⏳ Be prepared for everything—exams, career, life. Be the purple cow and ensure you don’t fall into the ditch
⚖️ 40-70 Rule – If you have less than 40% of the information, don’t act. Also don’t delay waiting for 100%—make a decision.
3rd Post
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
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Day 10 of hashtag#FWRP was directed by SandeepAmar Guppta sir
🔹 First Impressions Matter:
The mental image of a person forms in 2 seconds, and the first impression is set within 7 seconds. We did an activity where each of us walked into the class and got feedback.
Key takeaways:
✔️ Smile and be confident.
✔️ Exhibit trust and openness.
✔️ Make eye contact with everyone.
✔️ Be fully present – I realized I had a habit of rushing to my seat!
🔹 Landing Your Message Right: Communication isn’t just about speaking; it’s about ensuring the message is received well.
1️⃣ Connect with the person.
2️⃣ Deliver the message.
3️⃣ Ensure the other person understands it correctly.
🔹 Confidence and Effective Communication comes from self-awareness. Understanding why we think and act the way we do helps improve communication.
🔹 Be prepared! Research before attending any session or seminar—it makes engagement more meaningful. (This reminded me of the Salem SICASA Vijay event!)
🔹 Knowledge without action is like a bullet without a gun. Learning is useless without implementation, and action without knowledge is directionless.
A big thanks to
Samir Vengurlekar, Heer Nagda, Siddhant Modi, Prahlad Giridharan,Subh Singhania, Tushar Jain, Ashmit Barnwal, Siddharth, Bhanu Chowdary and Devansh Jaiswal for the honest feedback and engaging discussions.
4th Post
I never thought I could do it.
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Standing in front of 11 people, delivering a 5-minute presentation.
My mind was racing with questions:
❓ What if I stutter?
❓ What if my pronunciation is wrong?
❓ What if I don’t establish eye contact?
❓ What if I forget my points?
❓ What if my mind runs faster than my words?
❓ What if I don’t deliver?
And so many more…
But the last two days, under the guidance of SandeepAmar Guppta Sir at hashtag#FWRP, completely shifted my perspective.
From Express to Impress to Negotiation Skills, I learned:
✅ The power of presence
✅ The impact of confident body language
✅ The importance of truly listening—not just to reply, but to understand
✅ To speak from the heart, rather than just the mind
✅ Give pauses so that the audience has the time to process the delivery made.
Thank you to all participants of hashtag#fwrp program for their
1. Constructive feedbacks given to me
2. Their presentations which inspired me
Samir Vengurlekar Heer Nagda Siddhant Modi Prahlad Giridharan Tushar Jain Ashmit Barnwal Subh Singhania Bhanu choudhary Devansh Jaiswal and Sidharth M
Excited to keep learning and growing at hashtag#fwrp
Post 5
“I am struck
What’s the point of pushing so hard? “
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I recently came across a TED-Ed video which gave me a perspective on my above thought.
We start strong, full of energy, and as deadlines approach, pressure kicks in, pushing us to finish. But the middle? That’s where we get stuck.
Why? Because our focus shifts. Instead of tackling the tasks ( routines) , we start worrying about the end goal or destination. Instead of taking one step at a time, we stress about the whole journey.
The key? Stay focused on the task at hand, not just the end goal. Small wins keep us moving.
I beseech you to look at the video by ted ed.
https://lnkd.in/gQTcfamj
Week 2 related Post
📌📌Beyond Words – Learning the Art of Communication & Leadership📌📌 – Week 2 of hashtag#fwrp
🔍🔍Day 1 & 2 – The Art of Questioning & Self-Reflection by Abhijit Sanzgiri🔍🔍
Six simple words—Who, What, When, Where, Why & How—can transform thinking. We were challenged with deep “Why” and “How” questions we never considered. Still figuring out how to question effectively—planning to read Start with Why by Simon Sinek!
🔍🔍Day 3 & 4 – Express to Impress & Negotiation Skills by SandeepAmar Guppta 🔍🔍
🔹Communication starts with self-awareness.
🔹Attention bridges the inner and outer world, and meditation strengthens it.
🔹First 7 seconds shape impressions—trust and openness matter.
🔹The progress of speaking confidence from day one to the end of day two was truly remarkable
🔍🔍Day 5 and 6 – Exploring Leadership, Strategy, and the Value of Networking with Sayali Kothari – (Chandaliya)🔍🔍
A leader’s vision propagates through the team. We learned the power of perception, the right way to shake hands (acknowledge, nod, then handshake), and explored career paths beyond traditional audit & tax.
A case study showed us the importance of collaboration and problem-solving and delegation of duties. Also the biggest takeaway for me was “Surround yourself with people who push your limits”.
Thank you to
Ashmit Barnwal, Bhanu choudhary,Heer Nagda,Prahlad Giridharan, Samir Vengurlekar,Siddhant Modi,sidharth,Subh Singhania, Tushar Jain for their inputs and active participation, feedback which made the sessions enjoyable and insightful.
All ICAI COE Staffs who made this program possible
Week 3 Related Post
Rollercoaster of emotions and reflections at hashtag#icai hashtag#fwrp.
The opening of the 3rd week was unexpected.
We had an exciting, fun-filled Sunday visiting Amber Fort, Jal Mahal, Hawa Mahal, and Chowki Dhaani in Jaipur.
The next day morning i was dragging myself to yoga. One part of me wanted to skip it, another wanted not to miss the class. I was also half-expecting to just doze off in class on Monday morning.
The first 2 days were led by Preeti Damera. In the class where i thought i would doze off, Preeti Damera instead of hitting the snooze button of the alarm, broke the gloss away from the phobia (Glossophobia = Fear of public speaking). We learnt about the parts of a speech, the elements and practically learnt how to use them. We were also given direct personal feedback on our speech in the class to improve on.
I revisited the Prisoner’s Dilemma — something I had known a little about before, but the way it was framed here, with new circumstances and trade-offs, gave me fresh perspectives on the mutual trust that is required. Add in the team-building exercises.
The next 2 days were led my CA Prasad Kshirsagar who gave us that life is all about accepting the changes. He related his life to change management and client orientation where we all connected deeply with him.
The final 2 days of the week was led my CA Ashima Sukhani where we had learnt about things that waste our time, an overview of the 4 quadrants which help in managing the tasks, steps for strategic thinking and brainstorming practically though activities.
Thank you to everyone who made this memory possible.
Ashmit Barnwal,Bhanu choudhary,Devansh Jaiswal,Heer Nagda,Prahlad Giridharan,Samir Vengurlekar,Siddhant Modi,Siddharth M,Subh Singhania and Tushar Jain
Week 4
A heartfelt goodbye with hope to meet again.
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Today I leave Jaipur back to my home with a mix of emotions
1. Excited to head back home and start a new journey.
2. Sadness in missing the incredible ten.
Four weeks ago, we 11 were strangers, and today we leave with friendship, memories and learnings that will stay with us forever.
This week, we had reflected upon immediate, short term and long term goals, how being devil’s advocate gives more ideas and explored navigating the icai website. Also we had an introduction to reality check on the expectations set after being a CA.
What made the month entirely special were the people, their conversations, the shared struggles and moments of laughter.
Looking forward to meet you all
Ashmit Barnwal
Bhanu choudhary
Devansh Jaiswal
Heer Nagda
Prahlad Giridharan
Samir Vengurlekar
Siddharth M
Siddhant Modi
Subh Singhania
Tushar Jain